The Music of Don Gillis II; Lone Star and more

The national educational radio network presents music by Don Gillis. For those of you who have been with us on these past consecutive weeks there's no need at all to explain that I act as a sort of a one man production unit on this series announcing it writing it producing it and occasionally conducting the numbers you will hear and the music will play is mine and you're most welcome to listen along with us each time we're on the air. Every week that is. During this past summer and fall quite a number of folks have been busying themselves in behalf of your eardrums in the sense that they've been preparing and recording some more of my music especially for us on our broadcasts. So all together we'll be able to bring you a number of Premiere Radio performances as yet unheard by human ears. Plus commentary in an easy but Authority style hoping to come up with what is known in the radio game as a winner. And if not of first prize at least a welcomed evening in your own private schedule of listening each week and speaking of listening let's begin to and that beginning will take place when I say the title of the first number and I quote Lonestar a symphonic poem for

brass woodwinds and percussion played for us by the United States Army Band the composer conducting. You.

Can't. Do it. To shoot.

You. Shoot. You. Believe. This. I. Will. Live. Please. Educate. PLS. PLS. PLS. PLS. PLS. Let. Them live.

Live. There. The music was Lone Star the conductor composer Don Gill as the performing group the

United States Army Band music now in a mood of retrospection. A short song portrait of my boyhood days in Cameron Missouri hymn song for Sunday. Who's.

Luther. Luther king. Him song for Sunday with the United States Army Band conducted by the composer Don give us

now if you were with us last week you may remember that we promised you that we'd bring you an experiment in social satire based upon the promise of what might happen to music of composers What about their creativity as pop artists seem to be creating their materials. Well ever faithful to a promise and regardless of the consequences of it all I did construct a rather zany left handed example of this principle in action by concocting a musical montage which I have christened Herman the frog that sang at the Met. Now none of the music you'll hear was composed specifically for this very work of course not. That wouldn't be following the trend of the pop star. Instead I've used some already written music most of which is my own although I did borrow a couple of strains and refrains from Giacomo put Cheney and Johann Strauss. And why not under the terms of the so-called new art. Anything you think is good is made into art merely by the act of your saying that that's what it is. So with that in mind I set about my construction of this

nameless musical pop form. And because one needs inspiration even for such as this I was motivated very early one morning when I heard that sound you just heard was a recording of my coffeepot perking. Let's listen again. Yes that's my coffeepot. But to me it didn't sound like a coffee pot. To me it sounded more like a bullfrog. And so quick like I wrote a story about this bullfrog who had ambition to be a big time singer and then combining the whole frenzied nonsense with a bunch of assorted music cues my creation was finished. I asked my friend Jean Garnett to play the part of symphony Sam and then proceeded to narrate the rest of it myself. Proving that in the interest of musicology I have little or no self control. Of course what you're about to hear may not be art but somehow I think it is as much art as a pop artist taking an old Hupmobile chassis and dabbing it with the yellow and green paint and calling it contemporary sculpture yet. But whatever it

is here it is and I hope you enjoy this tongue in both cheeks type of musical spoof of an art no art and art in orbit. That's an all so therefore we offer you now the first and last world premiere performance of an experiment in social satire entitled Herman the frog who sang at the Met. Once upon a time as they say in Starbucks there was a frog who lived with a large family of other frogs at the side of a swamp in Loxahatchee Texas. Now these frogs were all bullfrogs better known to you frog ologist says. Run up the ends I mean how scientific Can you get in a bedtime story. Anyway this frog we were talking about was named Herman. That's H E R.

M A N. H E R M A N. And what a nice fine frog he was. I beg your pardon. Oh Herman you're here ladies and gentlemen I would like for you to meet our star in person Herman bullfrog. Sure glad you could be here Herman. I'm telling your story today. Well the same to you Herman but I'm telling it anyway. Now most bullfrogs especially if they have a chance to live in Texas are happy enough to be her man. He had ambition he wanted to be the biggest singer in the entire world or even anywhere else. He sat around on these pad that had of course and he practiced all night long. It was pretty bad

but he did it anyway. All the other frogs laughed at him. Well I can tell you that made him pretty sad. Will. Will. And then it made me mad. He would show them right Herman. And so he did. He started taking lessons at the walk so I had two vocal and high note Academy immediately. And finally it came time for his first reciting. He was up on the stage there and nervous as everything when. Look Herman said he's singing teacher. I don't think you're ready yet. You sound

for all the world like a frog it's got a man in his throat. Maybe you'd better run on home and practice for. Me. But the more he tried to practice the worse he sounded. And he was so blue. Or if. There was nothing left to do he would just run away and forget all about it. But he didn't know where to go or what to do when he hopped on the highway the truck drivers all yelled at him and think. Everybody yelled at him. Poor Herman bullfrog. He was so sad. Well he decided to commit suicide. And with grim

determination written all over his Froggy physiognomy he hopped toward the middle of the highway. And as he was about to throw himself under the wheels of a truck he heard. Hey said Herman that's a harp. Could we hear it again. And no sooner did we hear it again until Hermann was mysteriously transported right in to downtown Weehawken New Jersey. Excuse me folks what was that again Herman. You wanted Greenwich Village New York instead of Weehawken. OK Herman. And so in a twinkling of an eyelash Herman hopped around looking this way and that. What a town Harmon said. And as fast as his little legs could hop he helped with high hopes to a place called The Village zoo which was a nightclub.

And not only was it a nightclub but it was also the studio symphony Sam who was the highest price classical disc jockey since Rimsky met Korsakov and he hopped over to the nearest table and watched old goggle eyed and geese as symphonies Sam rolled up his sleeves and began to holler into the microphone. Well there you are folks Johnny drums a Symphony Number three was played by this National Symphony with the stakes done by old cousin Philharmonic it is all boy band and they were de goody good good to. Get away from me. Why don't you go get your own show and now I see by the old clock in the studio want that we've got time for one more Catholic culture and just to make it fair I'm going to dig into our powerful postcards and just see what your listeners money are next by the way and say there keep on sending in those postcards.

Remember that free trip to Berlin with all expenses paid for 17 of you guests in 17 words or less the exact number of clouds and white wires ringing the number Lyra here on line. And not only that. A brand new super high five was eight million long plays inviting hits and a lifetime supply of cactus needles. How sad. And the forget all you have to do is set a postcard along with forty dollars in cash or stamps to get in this contest which is really on the up. But how about. Going to. The game. Let's go with our high class Hi-Fi was simply sagging to the killing cycles and now the tears shed tears about. Let's see is serene in something subtle Rundle a from the man himself. Old Ludwig von. So let's have a big bit of Beethoven right now that this was dedicated to Larry Larry. My good Mary love and Abner Tristan and Isolde and strutted. His son Ph D.

Ok kids are blasted off for a trip for two months. We're flying high tide to the upper sky with Latif. Mr. Bayh do it himself. And the girl the stereo dynamical to Sonny. So to love those two leaders in the world her. City guys because he is the killer. Done. It's a tan then. And then the date then the seven then the 610 defied the fun the great sillies sole letter. From the. Dying sun that sun. Will deliver to the. Brother of the shortest 18 hours in radio. Are you tomorrow. Just a little. Game called Do You Need To

Get A Job. That's Latin for folks. We're off the air now. So far as I'm concerned you can drop dead folks that is as well. Herman was just as excited as everything it looked like his big chance for sure. And he knew he would make good. Why shouldn't I. He said if beetles and chipmunks can make it I don't see why frogs can't do it. Well he looked around he saw a bunch of cats with the chicks and the piano player was a real dog. Come to think of it and just about that time he started into saying. Done.

Well but Herman if he can sing I can too. And so he stepped up to the microphone and a voice to sound it all for the world just like a human being he began. I'd rather be with. One. Man. Thinks more. Think. Well they threw all her men out of there before you could say hallelujah. And not only that they flying so far that he landed right smack dab in the middle of the stage of the Metro lit but then Opera Company and there was an opera going on to startle him and began hopping toward the exit and with a giant sized leap he landed right in the mouth of a leading tenor. There was a goal but he was safe. Safe in the links of the highest paid tenor in the whole wide world and all they had to actually think.

Was confusion set in. What the heck is going on so the baritone why the heck do I know said the Tenor. You sound to me like a man who's got a frog in your throat so the baritone So the tenor. You're kidding. Oh my God. What. Well sir things were really happening on that stage I will tell you. The. Scale. The. People running this way and that should audience was laughing his head off the coastline on upon those days. Come and saw his chance to get away. So when the center opened his mouth the belt out a high note he jumped his father says that.

They meant what he thought was a lily pad but it turned out to be a somewhat of on the bosom of the Sopranos just making an entrance. Well elderly broke loose in the world and since the fourth terminal was chased from the site that first for the suppression then the better the final by everybody including you all union workers. Are scared to death. Herman jumped to the sea had never jumped before the army with the police never seen before in the history of frog the seas got up to the publisher and the air. Vents at the ceiling. And then with his very last ounce of energy he jumped clear to the top of the Empire State Building where he scared the daylights out of an old hooting out and three seagulls but he was safe at last. He had escaped. He sat there panting from the goal. Man I sure wish that old magic Harper was around to give me your fast trip back to walks the Hattie and just like in the story books. It happened.

Meanwhile back and pick her up for a moment all right. Very very. Big ambition to sing of the forgotten. After all he didn't make it to New York and was in the Met. But. It was nicer in Texas and he guessed he'd just stay in Texas all of his life. And he did until yesterday. Franz I hate to tell you this but guess what I had for supper last night. Yeah that's right. Is there a doctor in the house. You've been listening to is a neat little experiment in social satire entitled Harmon the frog who sang at the Met and with no apologies whatsoever to those op and pop artists whose non artistic principles form the basis for the concoction of this nonsensical effort of my own.

And now before you think you've been tuned into the psychopathic ward of the home for the musically bewildered let me assure you that you're still tune into a program called Music by Don give us and that the whole thing will return to normal music next week when we will hear a working title soliloquy played for us but the strings of the National High School orchestra at Interlochen and the musical setting of Ernest le prods famed children's book Alice in orchestra. I do hope you'll be with us then and I herewith promise that we'll never bring up the subject of Hermine the wrong AGAIN. Right Herman right. Until next week then this is done give us saying so long and thanks for listening. The Donaldsons are. In our programs. With. The national educational radio network. This is the national educational radio network.